It's A Father Thing
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: Hannah Venturi has a plan - meet her father and get him back together with her mother. Too bad he's a famous hockey star, denies having a daughter, and wants nothing to do with her mother. Will she finally be able to convince him? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

Title: It's A Father Thing

**Title:** It's A Father Thing

**Summary:** Derek Venturi had it all – a high paying job as one of Canada's hottest hockey players as well as the team captain, wonderfully excessive and expensive apartment, and beautiful girls clinging to his every whim. His life was going perfectly so who knew that a little eight year old girl could change all of that? Armed with a birth certificate with his name on it, little Hannah Sophia is determined to meet the father she never knew.

**A/N:** This is basically like The Game Plan but with my own added stuff to it. I do not own LWD despite how much I wish I did, or at least wish I owned Michael S. I also don't own The Game Plan or the ideas I got from that movie. Anyways, please read and review. Reviews make me happy!

**Rating: **T for mostly language and content

**Warning:** Derek does curse a lot in this story and some of the hockey players don't have the cleanest mouths.

--

Chapter One

"God damn it," Derek Venturi cursed under his breath as the light streaming in from the curtains hit his eyes. His head was throbbing and the light didn't help. As he looked around, he found that he was in the living room and there was trash scattered every where. What had happened last night? Derek struggled to remember what had taken place last night; then it hit him – his party. He had just celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday and had invited some friends over. Of course "some friends" by his definition meant about a hundred people. There had been lots of food and lots of drinks. Drinks! Derek suddenly remembered it all. Maybe he shouldn't have had that eighth glass of champagne. _Oh well_, he thought as he launched himself from the couch, _no regrets, remember that Venturi._

He began to make his way over to the kitchen through the trash. He was careful where he stepped and finally, after much hesitation, he made his way to the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator door. It was exactly eight o'clock – time for his smoothie. As he began to pour in milk, raw eggs, tuna, and wheat grass into the blender, the doorbell rang. Once again, Derek cursed under his breath. Eight o'clock was way too early for visitors in his opinion, hangover or not.

He made his way over to the front door and peered out the peephole. There was no one there – or at least no one he could see. Rolling his eyes, he began to turn to go back to his smoothie when the doorbell once again rang.

"What do you want?" Derek shouted as the door swung open.

"Hi," said a little girl dressed smartly in a pink plaid skirt, pale pink tights, pale pink paten leather shoes, and a matching pink plaid jacket. She looked exactly like a little business woman and instantly, Derek was angry. He had no time for kids!

"Look," he said, crossing his arms firmly over his chest, "It's early – too early – and I have a hangover and am far too busy to buy girl scout cookies so if you'll just scoot off back to your Mum…"

"I'm not selling girl scout cookies," the little girl shook her head and let her pale brown curls fall past her shoulders, "I'm here to see you!"

"Oh," Derek hit himself in the head for his own stupidity. The instantaneous pain made him quickly regret his decision and he winced.

"Are you okay?" The little girl asked.

"Yes. Now then, I'll just go get a pen and a piece of paper and give you your autograph. What's your name?"

"Hannah Sophia. But I'm not here for an autograph."

"Look, kid, you're making me late for my smoothie and if I'm late for my smoothie I'll be late for my work out and if I'm late for my work out I'll be late to practice and if I'm late to practice, Coach will kick my ass and if Coach kicks my ass I can't play in Friday's game so…" Derek waved his hand as if shoeing a dog away, "Run along."

"I…I'm sorry I came at a bad time. Maybe I should come back another time."

"Yes, well…no!" Derek quickly corrected himself, "No. Don't come back some other time! I'm a very busy man and I have no time to deal with kids. Hell, I don't even like kids!"

"I…I'm sorry," the little girl bowed her head, "I…I'll just be going. But can I borrow your phone for a moment?"

"No," Derek shot her a look, "You may not."

"But I need to call a sitter."

"A sitter?" Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you see my mom is out of town and I need to stay with someone. I can't stay at home all by myself!"

"Then why'd you come here? Wait a sec…did you come here all by yourself?"

"Yes," she nodded practically.

"Damn," Derek hissed, "What do you want?"

"I…I wanted someone to stay with."

"So you came to me?" Derek asked.

"Yes."

"Why?" He was beginning to grow impatient with the little girl.

"Because," she looked down at her shoes for a moment before continuing, "You're…you're my dad."

--

"What?" Derek's eyes nearly bulged out of his head and he chocked on the word.

"You are my dad."

"No, no, no, no!" Derek held up his hands as if in a surrender, "That…that just can't be. It…it just _can't_!"

"But you are. I have a birth certificate to prove it and everything!"

"Shit," Derek hissed before regaining his composure, "Alright, let's see this _said_ birth certificate."

"Here you go," Hannah said, handing him a manila folder, "It should be there on top. Your signature is there on the bottom…"

"My signature isn't on here," Derek scoffed as he skimmed the piece of paper, "Holy shit!"

"You said a bad word."

"Yeah I did and I'm fixing to say a lot more of them if you don't get the hell out of my house!"

"I…I'm sorry," her big blue eyes began to fill with tears as she wiped at her nose, "I…I shouldn't have come."

"Yeah, you're damn right you shouldn't. Now, you have three seconds to get out of my apartment. God! I can't believe people like this! Sending their own kid in here to pretend to be my kid in order to get some of my money! How much more fucked up could people get? Oh my God! One! I can't believe this! Two! What were your parents thinking? Three!" And with that, the little girl hurried out of the apartment with tears in her eyes.

Derek scoffed as he bawled up the birth certificate and tossed it to the floor. _Crazy kids and their fucked up parents! Trying to pass them off as my own so that I will have to give them money once a month! How completely fucked up…_Derek was continuing to scoff when his bulldog, Chevy walked over towards the crumpled up paper and brought it over to his feet. With a bark, Chevy alerted the man of the dog slob soaked paper.

"What? No, not now Chevy," Derek rolled his eyes, "I don't want to deal with this!" After another bark, Derek bent down and picked up the wet paper, "This is probably fake anyways. Do you know how easy it is for people to forge things like this, Chevy? I mean, really! Let's just see who this girl's mother is and I'll get my manager to raise hell on her ass…" Derek's eyes widened as his eyes fell upon the name, "Oh. My. God. No. No. No. No. _No_! This is _not_ fucking happening! This is _not_ fucking happening!" Derek's voice was beginning to get louder and louder, "Casey McDonald. Casey-Fucking-McDonald!" Derek found himself laughing at the sheer stupidity of the whole thing, "_Casey McDonald_!" Suddenly, his laughter ceased and his face fell, "Oh shit."

--

"Don't be ridiculous, love," Susan Summers laughed into the phone, "This girl couldn't possibly yours, could she?"

"No…of course not!"

"Good," Susan smiled, "Now then, calm down. Drink a smoothie and work off all this stress. I can't have you falling behind, can I?"

"No," Derek rolled his eyes at his manager's shrill voice.

"Great. And honey, relax. There is no way that this…Casey McDonald's child could be yours." There was no response, "Derek? Derek love? There _is_ no chance this child is yours, is there?"

"No, of course not," Derek scoffed, "I mean, why…how? It…it just can't be."

"Good. Now then, go on with your day as if nothing happened. If you want me to, I'll call our lawyer and have this Casey McDonald sued off her ass for trying to pass off her kid as yours."

"Nah," Derek shook his head, "That's okay."

"Okay well just try and relax. Put this nonsense behind you."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I'll see you later love. Call me!" Silence was her only reply, "Derek? Derek darling? Are you there love?"

"Susan?"

"Yeah, Derek darling?"

"I…I want a DNA test."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Derek Venturi madly punched the "down" button on the elevator at least seven times before the numinous tolling of the bell and the doors opening. Luckily, no one was inside and Derek rushed in and pushed the button marked "L" for lobby. He hastily ran his hand through his hair as he waited. When the doors opened, he rushed out to the lobby and scanned the numerous sofas and chairs. Finally he spied her – a little girl with gentle brown curls and blue eyes – sitting on one of the chairs. Her feet didn't touch the ground so she pumped them back and forth as if on a swing. Derek sighed and rolled his eyes before going over to her. He stood in front of her and crossed his arms angrily over his chest.

"Hannah, right?" He asked.

"Yes," she lifted her head and he saw her tearstained cheeks. If there was one thing Derek hated more than dealing with kids, it was dealing with crying kids.

"Look, I want a DNA test."

"A DNA test?"

"Do you know what that is?" Derek asked impatiently.

"Yes. They'd take a sample of my DNA and a sample of your DNA and put them together to see if our chromosomes matched. If there is a sequence of matched chromosomes, we're related. If not, we're not."

"Okay, screw the DNA test," Derek chuckled to himself, "I know for a fact you're Casey McDonald's kid."

"How did you…how did you not know about me?" Hannah asked him, her eyes wide.

"Well…I don't know. You see, me and your mom didn't get along much," Derek laughed at the understatement, "We hated each other actually. It was so bad that she left home to go live with her father in New York." So it wasn't the whole truth but why tell a kid that? A kid had no business knowing the truth.

"I'm sorry I bothered you," Hannah began.

"Nah," Derek shook his head, "Look, you can stay with me until I can get a hold of your mother…"

"My mom's in Africa."

"Africa? What the bloody devil is she doing there?"

"She's brining medical supplies to Darfur. She's going to be gone for two weeks…"

"Two weeks?" Derek chocked on his own saliva, "Look, I can keep you for like a day or something but not two weeks."

"I understand. I…I just wanted a day with you – nothing more."

"Why?" Derek asked, his voice became suddenly accusatory.

"Because, most kids see their father every day, they know what he likes, what he dislikes, what he enjoys, what he doesn't. They know everything about their dads! I…I just want a day with you to get to know you."

"Oh…well okay," Derek didn't really know what to say as he gathered up her two suitcases, "Come on back up to my apartment and we'll go over the game plan."

"Game plan?"

"Yes, it's a plan that teammates set up in order to make plays and – hopefully – win the game."

"I know what a game plan is," Hannah said, rolling her eyes.

When they arrived in the apartment, Derek instructed her where to put her suitcases, and told her that she'd be sleeping on the couch seeing as the only bed in the house was his own and she was never allowed near it with a ten foot stick. He then explained that there would be no running, shouting, screaming, yelling, crying, pouting, begging, wining, or anything else of the sort inside his apartment. Finger prints were prohibited and the refrigerator was completely off-limits.

"You have a lot of rules," Hannah said, scrunching up her face in disapproval.

"I bet your mamma has a lot of rules too," Derek said reflecting on how he and Casey had once been left to baby-sit together. She had tried to control the kids and plan only educational activities. In fact, Derek was still having trouble picturing Casey as a mother.

"Actually, no. She believes that children should be more creative and let's me do things on my own. She believes that if a child makes a mistake, she should learn from it not from being punished. She doesn't set lots of rules because she says she trusts my judgment."

"That doesn't sound at all like Casey."

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked, sitting down in one of the barstools by the island in the kitchen.

"She was so uptight. She once had this summer camp for kids and tried to make everything educational. She made chore-charts for our family and everything."

"You had a family together?"

"Well…sort of," Derek quickly changed the subject, "So kid, I have to get down to practice. I'm already late enough as it is so you have two options here: one, you can come with me and meet the guys and watch me play. Two, you can stay here all by yourself and watch TV and stay on that couch and not move a muscle. Take your pick."

"I want to come with you, Daddy."

"Whoa there kiddo! As far as I'm concerned, I am nobody's daddy. I am Derek and you are Hannah. Got that?"

"Yes, Derek," Hannah said, her face fell a bit.

"Come on, don't look so sad. You're gonna have lots of fun at practice meeting the guys and…"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Hannah reached into her purse and pulled out a tray of brownies, "Here you go."

"What's this?" Derek asked, eyeing the tray suspiciously.

"You're birthday present. It was your birthday yesterday wasn't it?"

"Yes…" Derek shot her a look, "How did you know?"

"Mom told me. And here, these are for you," Hannah reached into her bag once again and resurfaced with a stack of cards in her hands, "These are also for you. They're from Mom and me."

"What are they?" Derek asked, eying the stack of cards doubtfully.

"Cards. Mom doesn't know that I took them but they are birthday cards – one for every birthday you've had since you spilt up."

"Wow," Derek honestly didn't know what to think. Personally, he didn't want anything to do with Casey McDonald but he was curious as to what the cards read. He made a mental note to look over them that night.

"So, are you ready to go to practice, sport?" Hannah asked, her eyes beaming.

"Yeaaaah," Derek said, dragging out the word, "Never call me sport again, got that kiddo."

"Yeaaaah," Hannah mimicked, "Never call me kiddo again."

Derek couldn't help but smile. Hannah Sophia had guts. No one had ever said no to him, well, at least no one had said no to him since he moved out. She had gumption, but then again so did Derek.

"I'll call you what I want," Derek said, erasing the smile from his face, "Now let's get going or Coach will kick my ass and if Coach kicks my ass I'll kick yours. Get your coat. It's cold outside."

Derek didn't know what caused him to say that. He didn't think he cared or not if she froze her ass off outside but then where did that comment come from? Shaking the thought from his mind, Derek grabbed his gym bag and led Hannah out towards the elevator. When they were outside, the valet pulled Derek's silver sports car up to the front of the apartment.

"Thanks, James," Derek nodded towards the valet, "Come on, kiddo. Let's get this show on the road."

"I can't ride in this!" Hannah said aghast.

"And why not?" Derek demanded, growing more and more impatient by the second.

"Because," Hannah stated as if talking to a child, "There is no backseat. I'm supposed to ride in the backseat until I am four feet tall. Do I look like I'm four feet to you?"

"No," Derek laughed, "You don't. How tall are you anyways, two feet?"

"Three feet five inches to be exact!" Hannah shot him a look, "Now then, either you find us some other means of transportation or I'm not…" She was interrupted by a hockey helmet being slammed onto her head. The thing was far too big for her and far too heavy. Her head tilted to the right because of the weight.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hannah demanded.

"You are going to ride in the front seat like everyone else. If you go crashing through the windshield, at least you got a helmet on," Derek smirked, "Now get your butt in the car."

--

"Venturi, you're late!" The Coach's voice roared across the rink.

"Sorry, Coach!" Derek called back, "I had a little incident…" He nodded towards Hannah, "This is Hannah. She just arrived this morning and will be staying with me for the day."

"Aw, she's a cutie!" Called one of the men from the rink.

"Go change, Venturi!" Coach hollered, seemingly ignoring the little girl at Derek's side.

"Alright, you stay right here," Derek instructed Hannah, "And don't cause any trouble."

Hannah sighed and sat down in the bleachers. She began to pump her legs back and forth once more as a blonde player took a seat beside her.

"Hey kid," he smiled at her, "My name's Sam. I'm one of D-Man's friends."

"I'm Hannah," she smiled up at the kind blue eyes, "I am staying with Derek. He's my daddy."

"Daddy?" Sam chocked on the word, "Uh, sweetie, are you sure that D-Man is your father?"

"Positive. My mommy says so."

"Uh-huh," Sam eyes her suspiciously, "And what, may I ask, is your mother's name?"

"Casey. Casey Elizabeth-Marie McDonald."

"Oh shit," Sam said before quickly covering his mouth with his hand, "Sorry."

"It's okay. Derek curses all the time around me."

"So you…you're Casey's girl, eh? And…Derek's your…father?"

"Yup. He denies it though but his name's on the certificate."

"How…how did Derek and Casey…how?"

"Sam, surely you know where babies come from," Hannah grinned. Her mother had already told her a while back and she knew all the logistics of it.

"Do you?"

"Yup. But I hardly think this is an appropriate conversation topic. The fact of the matter is that I am Derek and Casey's daughter. I've never met Derek and came here."

"How long are you staying with him?"

"Just today. Mom's in Africa for two weeks and Derek doesn't want me staying with him for that long."

"I find it hard to believe your mom just dumped you with him for two weeks."

"She…she wanted me to spend some time with him."

"Well, I suppose that's good. How is Casey doing? I haven't seen her in years!"

"You knew my mom?"

"Yup. She was a close friend of mine," Sam smiled almost drifting into a world of high school memories.

"She's fine."

"That's good. So tell me about yourself, Munchkin."

"Munchkin," Hannah repeated as if tasting the word on her tongue, "I like that name a whole lot better than kid. That's what Derek called me, kid."

"And you call him Derek?"

"He won't let me call him Daddy," Hannah shrugged, "But I'm eight and I live in New York City with my Mother. She's in Africa giving out medical supplies to the people of Darfur. She's big on helping people."

"Always was," Sam replied, almost wistfully before playfully punching her on the shoulder, "I'll give you props, Munchkin. It takes guts to live with the D-Man."

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked.

Sam just answered her question with a laugh before returning out to the ice.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the great feedback and reviews you guys

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the great feedback and reviews you guys! It really means a lot to me. I wasn't sure if anyone would really like this story but I am glad you do and you know what, I am actually having a lot of fun writing it. And if you can tell me where the line "You know how I know? You've apologized four-hundred and thirty times" (picture a very pencil-possessive Johnny Depp) I'll give you a whole batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies!!

Chapter Three

"I'm sorry," Hannah said for about the twentieth time that afternoon. Derek didn't respond, instead her grunted. Hannah noticed his hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were an ethereal white, "Honest, I am. I shouldn't have come. All because of me you were late to practice. All because of me you had to run laps! It's all my fault and I'm sorry!"

"Shut up," Derek spat, "Just shut up!"

Hannah sighed and looked out the window. Maybe coming was a mistake. It was clear that Derek didn't want her or anything to do with her or her mother. Maybe this whole plan was just a stupid mistake and she should return home and just let Derek go on with his life.

"I'll call a taxi when we get home. I'll have them drive me to the airport and I can catch a flight back to New York. I…I'll be out of your hair in no time."

"Good," Derek said, not taking his eyes off the road, "But you're not gonna be able to get a flight on such short notice. Tomorrow morning though. I'll get you a ticket for tomorrow morning."

"First thing."

"First thing."

It was almost a relief for Hannah knowing that she would no longer be a bother to the strange man whose life she had interrupted.

"It was nice getting to meet you, Derek," Hannah said softly as if testing the waters, nervous he'd explode again.

"Wish I could say the same for you," his voice was cold and Hannah didn't say anything until they reached the apartment. When they got up to Derek's, she stood in the doorway as Derek tossed his gym bag to the side, "Come on," he instructed, "Let's see about that plane ticket."

"Derek…I really am sorry."

"I know you're sorry! You know how I know? You've apologized four-hundred and thirty times!"

Hannah's face fell and Derek decided it was probably best if he would stop yelling at her and just leave her alone. He had probably already made her feel bad. The more he thought about it, the more and more remorse he felt. He probably shouldn't have said that bit about wishing he could say the same about meeting her. Here she was, his daughter or not, and all she wanted was a day with him. A single day with the father she never knew! And how did he repay her? He yelled at her, blamed her, and now was kicking her out of his home. Derek glanced over at her and saw her big blue eyes filling with tears. _Oh shit_, Derek thought to himself, _now look what you've done, Venturi! She's gonna start crying! Those blue eyes are already filling with tears just like Hers used to. You got to do something! _

"Hey," Derek turned to her, "Um, there's this place not far from here. It's called the Downtown Aquarium. There's a Ferris Wheel and carnival games and a restaurant with this humongous fish tank three stories high going through the middle of the restaurant. It's a pretty awesome place to go and…and I was wondering if you wanted to go tonight. If you didn't already have plans," Derek shrugged.

"I'd love to!" Hannah's eyes lit up, "If…if you don't already have plans."

"I'm Canada's hottest hockey star. I have tons of girls that love me, tons of guys that want to be me, and tons of people who want me at their parties. Of course I already have plans – I always have plans – but they aren't anything I can't break," Derek fought the urge to grin at the little girl as she jumped up and down.

"Thank you, Derek! Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Derek rolled his eyes, "Don't get all worked up. Just get yourself fixed up. I leave in an hour."

--

It sat there on the highest hook. It's little sewn on smirk toyed with him, mocked him and his inability to knock the pin down. Its fuzzy purple exterior was a mere decoy to its dark and pure evilness hidden deep within the fuzz and fluffing. Derek glared at it as he pulled his arm back and released the ball. The pin fell. Hannah squealed and clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Alright buster," the acne-ridden teen behind the booth smirked, "Which one will it be."

"The purple monkey," Derek replied, rolling his eyes, "It's for her."

"Uh-huh," the teenager nodded sarcastically, "And I'm this guy's uncle," he nodded towards the monkey, "Have a good day sir. Enjoy your monkey!"

"God damn kid!" Derek mumbled as he thrust the monkey out to Hannah who hugged it tightly.

"Thank you so much, Derek!" She smiled up at him, vowing to treasure her monkey – the only gift her father had ever given her.

"Yeah well that monkey cost me fifty bucks and a hurt shoulder so you better love that thing."

"I do!"

"Now what do you want to do now?" Derek asked, "I'm opting for dinner at the restaurant."

"Okay. That sounds good to me," Hannah replied, hugging the monkey tightly to her as Derek led her over to the restaurant. Within twenty minutes they were seated. As the hostess led them up a flight of stairs, Hannah ogled at the humongous aquarium going up the three flights. It was filled with fish and water and eels and sand and rocks and everything you'd find in the ocean.

"This is our world-famous fish tank. It has over two hundred gallons of pure saltwater in it as well as fifty different species of ocean life. Everything from eels to sea turtles to clown fish, you'll find it here. We feed our fish once a day and filter the water three times a week," the hostess said her scripted line, "Now, if you'd come right this way, you're able is ready. Is this okay?" The hostess asked as she nodded towards a table next to a smaller aquarium filled with sea horses.

"This is fine," Derek said, smiling at the hostess as she handed them their menus, "So kid, what do you think about this place?"

"It's amazing!" Hannah replied breathlessly, "I love it!"

"Glad to hear it. Now, they have a kids menu here. It has chicken finger, coconut shrimp, popcorn shrimp, and catfish. Which one do you want?"

"Coconut shrimp."

"Okay, what do you want for a side? There's apple sauce or carrot sticks."

"Um…carrot sticks are healthier. I'll have those."

"Just like your mother," Derek rolled his eyes, "Okay, anything to drink?"

"Um…a Sprite."

"Good choice," Derek nodded as he looked over the menu. Before long, a waitress approached the table with a smile as fake as her bleached hair.

"Hello," she said, "I'm Kandice. I'll be serving you today. What would you like to drink?"

"Well Kandice, I'll have a beer and the kid here will have a Sprite."

"Okay…" she said as she jotted it down on the slip of paper, "And do you need more time to decide on what to eat."

"No. I'll have the Seaman's Platter and she'll have the coconut shrimp with carrots. And for dessert, I think we'll both have the Triple Chocolate cake."

"Okay. You're drinks will be out in a sec."

"Triple Chocolate cake?" Hannah asked, her eyes wide.

"Yup. Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge, chocolate chips served under vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce on top."

"Thank you, Derek!"

"For what?" Derek asked.

"For tonight. This is the best night of my whole life!"

Derek was about to say something although he didn't know exactly what. Just when he had opened his mouth, the waitress had returned with their drinks.

"Straws?"

"Yes," Derek nodded and she handed him two straws. Derek handed one to Hannah and kept one for himself. He tore off the top of the straw wrapper and put the straw to his lips and blew the paper across the table so that hit Hannah.

"Hey!" She glared at him but her eyes were smiling.

"What?" Derek shrugged innocently.

"Grow up," Hannah said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Her shot her a look, "I'm Derek Venturi. I can do what I want!"

"Yes and I am Hannah Venturi and I can tell you to act your age but…" She picked up her straw and blew the wrapper at Derek, "I'm eight. So that means I can act like it."

"Oh, you're dead!" Derek glared playfully at her.

"What are you gonna do about it, Venturi?"

--

Derek looked at the little girl in his arms. She had fallen asleep in the car and, instead of waking her, he decided to carry her up to the apartment. She looked so calm, so peaceful. Derek couldn't help but smile down at her as he placed her in his bed. He knew he had said it was off-limits but he couldn't just force her on the couch. Derek pulled the covers up to her chin and even found himself kissing her on the forehead.

"Night, kid," Derek grinned as he turned off the light.

After putting Hannah to bed, Derek sat down on the couch with Chevy and unwrapped the rubber band from the cards. He picked up the first one. It was dated at the top December 10th 20011. That had been his nineteenth birthday.

"Dear Derek, I don't know if I'll ever make it to the mailbox with this to tell you the truth. I don't think I have the courage to send this. After the way we left things, you probably don't want anything to do with me but I just wanted to write to you even if I won't send this, and get my feelings out. The truth is, Derek, I went to the doctor today. I…I'm pregnant. I don't know what to do right now and I am a little scared. Mom said I should give up the baby but I can't. I know it'll be hard but I'm willing to take care of her. I'm willing to keep her and raise her but she needs a father. I've debated this for awhile and I still don't know what to do. It might be best if you never find out about the baby. I mean, you are so focused on your hockey, having a kid will to think about will only take away from your dream. Being with me was taking the dream away too, that's why I left. I know you think it's because I overreacted after a fight but that wasn't it. Truth was, I felt like I was holding you back. You have so much going for you, Derek and I was just in the way. That's why I left. I miss you like hell, Derek Venturi but I can never return to you. It'll just mess up your game plan. And you have worked so hard on that game plan. Anyways, keep the baby in your prayers. Love, Casey."

Derek looked down at the card. She had thought she was in the way of his dream? Derek blinked back a tear as the memories of the single night came flooding back to him.

"_Look Case, I can't go to your Dad's with you because I have practice that weekend. I know he's getting remarried and all and you want me to be there but I just can't! I need to go to practice or we'll never win our games! The fate of the team is on my shoulders, Case!"_

"_Derek all you ever think about is hockey! I need you with me for this! I can't go alone!"_

"_Lizzie will be there. And Ed."_

"_But you won't be! Derek, you are my rock, and you keep me in shape when the world is crumbling around me and now…now you won't even be there when I need you!"_

"_I want to be there but I can't. Look, if I'm ever going to make it pro, I need to practice. The team is counting on me and there will be scouts from the big leagues there!"_

"_But I need you!"_

"_You always need me!"_

"_Derek…tell me something. Why did you even ask me to be your girl friend?"_

"_Because I love you."_

"_You love hockey. Not me, Derek."_

"_Case, we are eighteen! We are far too young for anything serious. I need to think about hockey."_

"_I thought we were serious. You…you said we were serious when we slept together!"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_Derek Venturi, tell me that wasn't just a line to get in my pants!"_

"_It wasn't. I swear. I thought I was serious about you, Case. I thought we really could have something – and we can! – but hockey has to come first."_

"_You…you said you wanted to spend forever with me!"_

"_And I do. But hockey…"_

"_It's always hockey, Derek. I…I can't do this, Derek. I'm leaving."_

"_What? Case…don't do this," Derek said as he followed her into her bedroom._

"_I have to, Derek. I know Mom and George wanted us to rent this apartment together so they wouldn't have to pay for two but you're just going to have to find another roomie, Derek. I…I have to leave."_

"_Where will you go? You're whole life is here!"_

"_I'll go to New York and live with my dad."_

"_College?"_

"_I'll transfer to NYU. I just can't keep doing this Derek. I need to get away from you."_

"_You don't have to move to New York to get away from me…damn it Casey put the suitcase away."_

"_It isn't just this, Derek. I've been wanting to leave for a long time. I…I've thought long and hard about it and this is what I have to do."_

"_No…you're just worked up. Stay here tonight and in the morning everything will be fine. We'll be fine."_

"_We aren't fine, Derek. Can't you see that?" She asked as she slammed the suitcase shut, "We aren't fine."_

"_Case…"_

"_Let me go, Derek," Casey snapped, wheeling the suitcase to the apartment door, "Let me go."_

"_I…I love you."_

"_You love hockey, Derek. I can't be second best in your life."_

"_Casey…I am in love with you. I'll marry you!"_

"_We're eighteen Derek."_

"_I'll marry you if it'll make you stay."_

"_Nothing will make me stay, Derek. I'm leaving."_

"_Just do me one thing."_

"_What?"_

"_If you are gone, really be gone. Don't come back, Casey. I can't take it if I lose you and you come back and put me through all this again. If you really are going, really go. I…I won't take you back."_

"_I never said I wanted you to," Casey sighed as she gave him a quick kiss goodbye, "I never said I wanted you to take me back. Goodbye Derek Venturi. I wish you all the best."_

"_Goodbye, Casey. I wish you all the best too."_

The memory was engraved into his mind. It haunted him every night and every hour of the day he thought of her. She had walked out of his life and he hadn't seen her since. She had basically isolated herself from the Venturis and now he knew why – she thought she was in the way of his dream. Derek cursed under his breath. Casey McDonald could never be in the way of his dream for one reason only: she was his dream. His dream that could never and would never come true.

* * *

A/N: REMEMBER: if you can tell me where the line "You know how I know? You've apologized four-hundred and thirty times" (picture a very pencil-possessive Johnny Depp) I'll give you a whole batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies!!

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

**A/N: Yay! I updated! After what, like six months practically? Oh well, here you go, Chapter Four. I'll try not to be so late on my updating next time, okay? Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I just watched the Game Plan last night on HBOsomethingorather so I have lots of juicy ideas so please keep reading! **

The sunlight streamed through the blinds and the sound of the barking dog caused Derek to stir. Upon opening his eyes he found he was lying on the floor with the cards scattered around him. Sighing, he put them back in order and wrapped the rubber band tightly around the stack. He would just have to finish looking at them later. Chevy let out another bark and Derek slowly stood up and walked to the kitchen. He glanced at the clock on the oven – seven thirty. Sighing, Derek pulled out a can of Pedigree and dumped it into Chevy's bowl. He pulled open the door of the refrigerator and got out the ingredients to his smoothie. As he was setting everything out, he quickly remember Hannah. What would she eat for breakfast? Surely not one of his smoothies. Sighing, he walked to his bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Hannah? It's Derek. Are you awake?" He pulled open the door and walked inside to find the little girl sprawled out in his custom-made bed. She was like an ant in comparison to the size of the bed and Derek couldn't help but smirk.

"Hi, Derek," she answered groggily, "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty. Look, I was wondering what you'd like for breakfast. I usually have a tuna, egg, strawberry, banana smoothie…"

"Gross!"

"Yeah, that's why I want to know what you want to eat. I don't have a lot in terms of kid-food but I bet we can find something. What does Case – I mean, your mom – what does she usually fix you?"

"Scrambled eggs with turkey bacon, fat-free organic cheese, tomato, and a toasted English muffin with raspberry jam."

"Yeah," Derek nodded, "I could do that or I can take you to the doughnut shop by the rink."

"Doughnuts are fattening."

"Okay, well get dressed and come have a tuna, egg, strawberry, banana smoothie then."

"That's okay, doughnuts it is, then!" Hannah quickly nodded. She couldn't imagine a smoothie with tuna and raw egg in it and just the mere thought of it made her nauseous.

After eating, driving to the doughnut shop, and splitting a blueberry iced cake doughnut with Hannah, Derek drove them to the rink. As he pulled into the parking lot, Sam and several other players that Hannah recognized were getting out of their cars.

"Sam!" She shouted as she rolled down the window and waved.

"Hey, Munchkin! Survived the night with Derek, huh?" Sam grinned and waved back.

"See you made a friend," Derek nodded pointedly.

"Sam's pretty sweet."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly use the word 'sweet' to describe Sammy but I'm glad you like him. He was my best friend in high school and college and even now! He also dated your mother in high school."

"He did?" Hannah's eyes widened.

"Yup. She was pretty head-over-heels for the guy, though I never knew why. We even got in a fight about her and I ended up beating the snot out of him."

"You fought over Mom?"

"Well, not technically. Technically we were fighting over the guy code."

"Sounds to me like you were just jealous," Hannah grinned.

"Was not!"

"Was too! Why else would you fight a guy over a girl you liked."

"I didn't like her at the time!"

"Then why were you so upset at Sam for dating her?" Hannah retorted.

"…Because!" Derek tried to sound defensive but in all honestly, he didn't know why exactly, if he didn't like her at the time, he was fighting Sam. Shrugging it off, Derek pulled into an empty spot and ordered Hannah out of the car.

"Oh, did you get me my plane ticket?" She asked.

"Shit!" Derek whacked himself on the head. He had been so out of it last night with looking at the cards and all that he had completely forgotten to order the ticket, "I totally forgot!"

"Oh, well I am sure you can order one when we get home," Hannah said, her voice faltering.

"Nah, too much trouble. You can stay with me I suppose."

"Really?" Hannah's eyes nearly popped right out of her head.

"Really," Derek answered, "But on one condition."

"Sure thing."

"See, there is a restaurant opening today and the team's all going. I kind of have to be there and I don't really have a date and I was wondering if you'd go with me."

"Really? I'd love to! What restaurant is it?"

"Venturi's."

"Venturi's? You mean, it's yours?"

"Yup, all mine and you, my darling, get to be my date!"

Derek didn't know what prompted him to call her darling at that particular moment but he did. Shaking the memory from his head, he slammed the car door shut and followed Hannah into the rink.

--

"Guess what, Sam!" Hannah exclaimed excitedly.

"What?" Sam asked with equal excitement.

"I'm Derek's date to the opening tonight!"

"You…you're going to that?" Sam couldn't believe it, "Hannah, Venturi's is a night club. You…you can't…"

"But Derek said I could."

"I can't believe him. A night club is no place for a little kid…"

"I am eight thank you very much!" Hannah announced.

"Sorry," Sam apologized genuinely, "But I don't think Venturi's is a good place for a young lady like yourself."

"Sam, my daddy said I could go. I think he knows what's best for me," Hannah smiled sweetly before scurrying off to find Derek.

"God I hope so," Sam sighed, "I really hope so."


End file.
